Storms force Greenfield to declare state of emergency, leave more than 27,000 WMECO customers throughout region without power

05.27.2010 | Photo by Mark M. Murray / The Republican | SPRINGFIELD -Floyd Piner, looks over the damage that a fallen tree did to his neighbor Ellen Zappa's home at 13 Rest Way. The owner was able to get out unhurt and is staying with friends.

“We are asking all residents to remain in their homes until further notice,” Longley said. No injuries have been reported, he said.

Darlene A. Fahey of the Millers Falls section of Montague said she was petrified over night.

"Our windows were all shaking. Everything in the yard was blowing. It was really scary."

Someone's car alarm was set off which added to the chaos outside as a couple of the trees in her yard were broken and one partially uprooted.

Yet a partially deflated kick-ball in her yard was blown a mere 10 feet.

"Look how the wind is in these storms," she said.

"It's amazing."

Monica M. Bartolucci of the Millers Falls section of Montague was on her front deck as the storm approached.

She watched the lightening intensify, and when she went inside the rain started to pour down.

“It was raining sideways. The wind picked up. I watched the debris splash at the window,” she said.

She had her hands on the glass as she peered out of the sliding glass door, and she could feel the wind vibrate it.

“I heard a boom and looked and saw the tree had fallen” in her neighbor’s yard, across both driveways and blocking in the neighbors’ white van.

“Both houses were very lucky,” she said. “We were lucky (the tree) didn’t hit the houses or the (power) wires.”

Further down Millers Falls Road trees lay on power lines and blocked the road into the village of Turners Falls.

David R. Descavich of Wendell, maintenance manager at Hallmark Institute of Photography where some of the trees had fallen, reported that no windows had been smashed in the storm and the flat roof was unharmed.

But power was out so the school was closed.

The main damage was the loss of several trees that had been toppled or broken in the storm.

Descavich was at home in Wendell with windows open when the storm hit.

“Needless to say my whole living room got soaked,” he said as he stood in the usually spotless parking lot littered with leaves blown down in the storm.

He was waiting to get more gas for the leaf blower to clean up the mess as crews worked to reopen the road in front of the school.

Shelburne has also declared a state of emergency.

Route 5 in Holyoke, from the Exit 17 area of Interstate 91 north to the Easthampton line remained closed due to storm damage as of about 7 a.m.

“It’s a mess,” a Holyoke police officer said.

The storms, which rumbled through late Wednesday night and Thursday morning, left more than 27,000 Western Massachusetts Electric Co. customers without power, officials said.

Along with Greenfield, Hadley was also hit hard, WMECO officials said. Hadley police said five roads remained closed Thursday morning.

It may be several days before power is fully restored throughout the region, WMECO officials said.